menses>FEMALES!! only...

kinda scared to post this, but i need to know what u guys think.

i have never had a regular cycle. I used to go a month without a period...then back to every 28 days and such. But, as of late, I haven't had a period in 3 months or so. No, I am NOT pregnant. I haven't sex (I am a virgin!).

What is wrong with me!??! I am trying to find the courage to make a female doc appointment. I am scared to. Meh.

(((((((((HALLIEBETH)))))))))))))))

It could be stress, it can cause it to fluctuate. If your body is under any sort of stress (like if you've lost a good amount of weight in a short period of time) then that can also affect it. Also could just be hormones... it happens.

I know that seeing a doc, especially for that sort of thing isn't fun but it's a good idea - just in case to rule out anything serious.

Hey there - I agree with the above post. Weight can have alot to do with it if you are very thin. But, you really should go get checked out. The ob doc. is a bit scary the first time but it get's easier - I don't think it's ever pleasant but it is tolerable

Tranquility

i think around 20% of women have irregular cycles.

i've heard that that can be one reason why women are prescribed the pill. it regulates your cycle, basically. after some time of taking that... i think that people can stop taking it and their cycles are regular.

weight can have a lot to do with it... if your BMI is low (and / or if you are very atheletic) then that can result in irregular cycles. stress...

there would also be the possibility of ovarian cysts (which are very common and also treatable), hormone regulation (also treatible with hormone replacement / the pill).

http://patients.uptodate.com/topic.a...=endocrin/9299

yeah...im def fat. so the whole being skinny thing...not whats going on. thanks for answering tho!

Hi Hallie. I don't know how old you are, but once I had my period for 5 years (I was 15 by then) and it was still incredibly out of whack (like I could have two periods 2 weeks apart or 2 periods 4 months apart) I got put on birth control to control it, and it works of course because it forces your period to be within a certain week. I have been off b/c for about.. 6 or 7 years now and I'm still pretty regular, (not perfect, but I don't think anyone is) my periods are still really short (only 3 days, which started on b/c!), and I never get cramps, which I did before b/c too.

It pretty much saved my period lol so I would recommend talking to your doctor about that option. Also, for me I tried generic vs name brand b/c and generic made me SO exhausted beyond belief and name brand did not. Odd?

Throwing this out there - but these are the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Not all women with PCOS share the same symptoms. These are some of the symptoms of PCOS:

infrequent menstrual periods, no menstrual periods, and/or irregular bleeding
infertility (not able to get pregnant) because of not ovulating
increased hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes—a condition called hirsutism (HER-suh-tiz-um)
ovarian cysts
acne, oily skin, or dandruff
weight gain or obesity, usually carrying extra weight around the waist
insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes
high cholesterol
high blood pressure
male-pattern baldness or thinning hair
patches of thickened and dark brown or black skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs
skin tags, or tiny excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area
pelvic pain
anxiety or depression due to appearance and/or infertility
sleep apnea—excessive snoring and times when breathing stops while asleep

Tranquility

Gaining weight also can throw you off. It's well-documented that heavier women frequently have weird menstrual cycles. (I speak as one of them.) I started at age 10(!) and was regular as clockwork for the first few years, but not since (32 years later). The pill helped, and then I spent 3 weeks in the hospital with a blood clot in my lung. That was the end of hormones for me, and it's been a mess ever since.

Nevertheless, those are only my experiences -- a gyno visit should be in order, for sure. My only tip is to find a female one! My first "girly doc" appt. was with a weird old man who cracked jokes the whole time, which was not only thoroughly inappropriate, but made it even more uncomfortable. (And it is a little uncomfortable, but really not too bad.)

Good luck.

CB

Hi HallieBeth,

I used to have very irregular cycles ( sometimes I'd skip long periods of time - sometimes I'd get really long periods, or they would come too frequently). I used to be very overweight, and it turned out that it was related to polycystic ovary syndrome, as the other folks here are mentioning. That may not be the case in your situation. But it's still good to get it checked. When your body goes a number of months without having a regular cycle, sometimes the doctors suggest doing something to encourage the body to resume its regular pattern, through taking an injection or using birth control pills. It's not healthy for the body to go without regular cycles. So yes, as hard as it is, it's good to go in for a checkup if it's been a number of months without a cycle, just to get a checkup. If there is an additional problem, like PCOS ( polycystic ovary syndrome) there are suggestions they can make to help you stay healthy in general, and sometimes medications they can prescribe (hormones and otherwise) which can help your body get back on track.

Take care,
ErinBear

I have had a regular menstrual flow when I first started... but it seems for the last year almost it's been irregular and has gotten scarcer, it appears to be caused by a lot of changes in meds from what I can see. So yea irregularity can be caused by meds as I'm reassured by my docs.